You Will Love My Wine Picks! ♥Chérie Du Vin

Domaine du Vieux Lazaret – Châteauneuf-du-Pape – White 2010

Tasting Notes: White Flower, Peach and lemon aromas. Opens up significantly in the glass. This is when the wine’s fleshy fullness reveals itself. Ever so slight hint of toast on the palate; well-balanced, refreshing. Long finish. Pale yellow, brilliant. 14% alcohol.

Production Notes: Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Clairette, Roussane. Pneumatic pressing, static cold settling, matured on lees for 4 months. There is no malolactic fermentation. Also, the Roussane is vinified and matured in the barrel before final blending.

Domaine du Vieux Lazaret spans both Châteauneuf-du-Pape (95 Ha.) and Côtes du Ventoux (14 Ha.). The Quiot family originally bought this 15th c. domain in 1871. Parts of it were originally an old “Lazaret,” which in the 18th c. was a hospice run by religious Lazarists – they played a pivotal role in helping villagers during the plague of 1720. On the other part of the domaine, 30 km. away at the foot of Mont Ventoux, the vineyards are distinguished by two landmark 100 yr. old cypress trees that form a natural archway at the entrance to the estate.

A family dynasty. What’s more, Famille Quiot,who has been making French wines since 1748, is a veritable and authentic French wine dynasty. The family represents a marriage union (1975) of two heirs, Jérôme and Geneviève, to families Quiot and Houchart, each with long and successful winemaking histories in both Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Provence. They have continued the legacy, now aided by their two children, with exports totaling 95% of their annual 1.2 million bottle production. Famille Quiot is one of the largest, by volume, and oldest family and privately held, winemaking operations in Southern France.